1. Field
The following description relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to enabling femtocell functionality in a wireless communications environment.
2. Background
Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to multiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly grows, there lies a challenge to implement efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance.
Recently, users have started to replace fixed line communications with mobile communications and have increasingly demanded great voice quality, reliable service, and low prices.
In addition to mobile phone networks currently in place, a new class of small base stations has emerged, which may be installed in a user's home and provide indoor wireless coverage to mobile units using existing broadband Internet connections. Such personal miniature base stations are generally known as access point base stations, or, alternatively, Home Node B (HNB) or femtocells. Typically, such miniature base stations are connected to the Internet and the mobile operator's network via DSL router or cable modem.
Even a communication between a geographically proximate calling mobile unit and destination mobile unit is sent from the calling mobile unit to a base station. The communication is sent over a backhaul before it is directed back to the same base station to transmit to the destination mobile.
Some standards and protocols have been developed for applications, such as peer-to-peer services for mobile terminals. However, these standards and protocols do not address legacy terminals. In other words, they require new mobile terminals to make use of new standards.